Can opener



Nov. 6, 1945. F. K. KRAG 2,388,615

' CAN OPENER Filed May 4, 1944 Inventor Franz KKm'g E W m.

Patented Nov. 6, 1945 STATES PATENT 10F .FfHIE OPENER EranZFKEKi-ag, Chicago, Ill. 'ApplieatiofiMiW 4,, 1944, Serial No. 524 053 This invention relates to improvementsin .can openers and has for its object to provide a very efficient compact, durable and cheap vdevice of that type wherein-frictional resistance .to operation is minimized and .certain advantages are gained, .as fullyexplained hereinafter.

.A suitable embodimentof the inventionisillustrated in the. accompanying drawing, wherein:

.Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a can openerrconstructed in accordance withthe invention.

Fig. 2 'is a side view partly in verticalsection on .the .line 2-2 of Fig. 401 an element of the structure.

"Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the device, a portion of the 'handle of same fbeing omitted.

.Fig.-.4.isa side elevation of the device devoid of the handle thereof.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail ,planssectional view of the device taken. on the line'5-5 .ofFig. .1.

Fig. 6 is .a .detailside view of the cutting blade of the device.

-Fig. '7 isa planlsectional .view of the .sameon. an enlarged scale ,taken on the line 1-.1 .o'fEig. .1.

Fig. 8 is a detail enlarged plan sectionof same taken on the line 8-8 of. Fig. l.

The device, as illustrated, comprises ahandle .l of heavy .gauge wire which terminates in a pair of parallel spaced apart arms 2 upon which the remaining parts of the structure are mounted. Said other parts include a cutting blade 3 equipped with a shank portion 4 at one end and a canhead piercing element 5 at its other end, the latter having a front edge 6 at the upper end of which the cutting edge 1 of the blade 3 terminates, said edge 6 being incapable of continuing the severance of the can head effected by the edge I and, therefore, functioning as a stop to limit the cutting stroke of the structure.

The shank portion 4 of said blade includes the parallel side-flanges 8 and the parallel arcuate side formations 9 in which the arms 2 of the handle are received smugly, said formations being tangential with the inner faces of the flanges 8 Mounted upon the outer face of the shank portion 4 is a sheet metal plate In which is equipped at its lower end with an L shaped projection, the outer end portion ll of which has its lower edge projecting below the lower edges of the side flanges 8 and also rearwardly of the rear flange 8 and outwardly of the face of said shank portion 4.

The lower edge of the said rear flange 8 presents a sharp edge which is adapted to bear upon the upper edge of the double-seam formation bordering the can head'by. the blade 3 andconstitutes a fulcrum elementabout which .the ,device isrocked when in operation. Theinnerlower extremity of .theprojection H is adapted to .engage .the .can head inwardly .and rearwardly of theseveranceefiected by the cuttingedgeof the blade 3 and thusoperates to preventtheperipheral edge portion .ofcentral portion of the can head to bend upwardly and thus become positioned .to injure the operator.

Mounted upon the arms .2of the handle I opposite the cutting bladel isa .bladelZ equipped with a'longitudina'l concave-convex rib formation l3, the-convex face of .whichis opposed to the blade .3 throughout the greater part of the length .of the latter, the blade 12 having its extremity extending'belowthe end of theblade'B.

The shank portion-of the blade 12 is equipped with formations l4 presenting concave recesses in which'the arms 2 of handle I engage, the said shank-portions '4 .and I2 .andthe plate Ill being rigidly secured to-each other and the arms 2 of the handle I by means ofrivets 15 having shanks of larger diameter-than the width .ofspace between the said arms '2 and which engageinpart in recesses 'in the opposed face portions ofsaid arms "2.

The blade'3.is dished throughout its entire area from the shank portion 4 'to the piercing element 5 and thus presents a concave outer face and a convex inner face, the dishing of said blade being effective also to impart a slight curvature to the lower end portion of said blade whereby it is spaced progressively farther from the blade l2, thecurvature of the cutting edge 1 of said blade being thus convex in one direction and concave along the lower end of the outer face of said blade.

The extremity of the projection 5 presents a sharp point which penetrates a can head easily responsive to manual pressure or a blow upon the upper end of the handle I, and in operating the device by imparting a rocking motion thereto, as stated above, the line of severance is caused to be somewhat arcuate and substantially concentric with the double seam flange bordering the can head.

The blade l2 terminates at its upper end in an outwardly projecting flange l6 equipped with a downwardly projecting lip l1 equipped with a recess l8 between its side edges, said lip being adapted to engage the rim of the flange Of a closure cap of a bottle or jelly glass or the like to effect its removal by exerting a lever-force upon the handle I. The extremity of said blade l2 may be used as an opener of the type of closure known as a friction cap by inserting said extremity beneath the annular lip of the flange of such a cap and causing an adjacent portion of the blade 12 to rest upon the double seam flange of the can head as a fulcrum point, so that by downward pressure upon the handle I, the said cap will be removed.

The device thus constitutes a plural purpose household tool which is very simple, light, compact, durable and efficient. 7

Obviously, a handle of a different type and shape may be substituted for the handle I without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: Y

1. A device of the type specified which comprises a handle element, a can piercing and cutting blade disposed substantially in the plane of one side face of said handle, and a guide bladesimilarl disposed with respect to the other side face of the handle, said blades being spaced from each other below the lower end of the handle, a sharp fulcrum edge member being disposed to bridge the space between said blades along the upper rear edge of the free space between them, an offset projection adjacent the upper end of the rear edge of said cutting blade, the latter equipped with a terminal formation provided with a piercing point and a front edge portion terminating at its upper end in the cutting edge of the cutting blade and constituitng a stop to limit the cutting stroke of said blade.

2. A can opener comprising a handle terminating at one end in a pair of projections, a pair of spaced apart blades equipped with socket formations at one end rigidly secured to said projections, the outer ends of said socket formations cooperating to provide a fulcrum edge about which said blades turn in operation of the device, one of said blades being a can piercing and cutting blade disposed substantially in the plane of one side face of said handle, and the other of said blades being a guide blade similarly disposed with respect to the other side face of said handle, said cutting blade having a double convex cutting edge and a substantially straight rear edge disposed approximately parallel with the axis of said handle, said cutting blade being dished between said edges and presenting its convex face opposed to the guide blade, the latter being of greater length than said cutting blade and equipped with a longitudinal rib presenting a convex face opposed to the convex face of the cutting blade.

3. A can opener comprising a handle equipped at one end with a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel blades and with a fulcrum edge bridging the gap between said blades at their junction with said handle, one of Said blades being a can piercing and cutting blade disposed substantially in the plane of one side face of said handle, and the other of said blades being a guide blade similarly disposed with respect to the other side face of said handle, said cutting blade having a double convex cutting edge and a substantially straight rear edge disposed approximately parallel with the axis of said handle, said cutting blade being dished between said edges and presenting its convex face opposed to the guide blade, the latter being'of greater length than said cutting blade and equipped with a longitudinal rib presenting a convex face opposed to the convex face of the cutting blade.

4. A structure, as defined in claim 3, wherein the cutting blade is composed of sheet metal and terminates in a projection having a blunt face meeting the cutting edge and a blunt end face extending angular to the first named edge and to the rear edge of said blade.

5. A structure, as defined in claim 3, wherein the handle is equipped at one side with an outwardly offset projection spaced from the inner end portion of the outer face and rear edge of the cutting blade.

6. A structure, as defined in claim 3, wherein the cutting edge of the cutting blade is convex and is curved outwardly along its lower edge portion, thereby to space its cutting edge progressively farther from said guide blade froma point substantially midway between the'ends of the cutting blade to its lower end, and wherein the handle is equipped at one side with an outwardly offset projection spaced from the inner end portion of the outer face and rear edge of the cutting blade.

- FRANZ K. KRAG. 

